Clean Energy Works has received a Design Funding grant from Convergence to undertake a feasibility study of Pay As You Save® (PAYS®) for Clean Transport in a Latin American city.
“We found the PAYS model compelling, not only because it presents an innovative off-balance sheet solution for bus service providers smartly borrowed from other applications, but also because it shows potential to be catalytic for the clean transport space,” says Joan Larrea, CEO of Convergence. “Our mission is precisely to bring to light initiatives like PAYS that drive blended capital to where it is needed most and provide learnings for the broader market.”
PAYS has received significant traction from governments, development finance institutions, investors and philanthropies worldwide, including endorsement from the members of The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance in September. Convergence’s funding will allow Clean Energy Works to complete the necessary feasibility work to narrow down the pipeline of cities in Latin America to a candidate city for a first implementation project.
Financial analysis indicates strong potential for impact in emerging markets cities. For example, in Santiago, Chile, a PAYS investment for 100 buses can leverage more than $70 of investment capital for each grant dollar, while reducing overall grant requirements by 97%, generating $25 million in electricity sales revenues, and eliminating 62,000 tons of CO2 emissions.
Clean Energy Works will present an online briefing for those interested in learning more about the PAYS for Clean Transport model in the coming weeks. To receive more information about that event, please register here.
